Clinical features and patterns of childhood asthma onset

Abstract

Summary. Clinical patterns of childhood asthma onset were investigated retrospectively in 92 children with asthma diagnosed according to the accepted criteria. A subsequence of asthma triggers occurred in early childhood was estimated: the first one is viral respiratory infection followed by non-specific factors and, lastly, allergens. This allows us to consider childhood asthma as a forming disease triggering by recurrent viral bronchitis that promotes development of secondary bronchial hyperreactivity. The latter is the strongest risk factor of asthma in a child with atopic susceptibility. In most cases, bronchial hyperreactivity is determined clinically and indicates a formation of a "shock organ" for allergic inflammation to be manifested in a child with atopic predisposition. The established pattern of asthma onset requires re-evaluation of the respiratory symptoms during follow-up of a child with recurrent bronchial obstruction to timely diagnosis of this disease.